Embattled Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer has predictably left out Springbok centre Adrian Jacobs from his starting XV for Saturday's Super 12 game against champions the Brumbies at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

Instead Meyer, under pressure to record his first win in the competition after three successive defeats, has opted for the highly overrated Boeta Wessels at inside centre, with another veteran in Franco Smith at flyhalf.

Jaco van der Westhuyzen again plays out of position at fullback in place of Nel Fourie, who got dumped after only one game. Smith returned to South Africa recently after a stint with Italian club Treviso, but made a significant impact in the 40 minutes of Vodacom Cup rugby he had for the Pumas. He will also take over the goalkicking duties from Nel.

Meyer's infatuation with the average Wessels is hard to fathom. He is a solid defender, but doesn't offer much when it comes to attacking play. Jacobs (pictured) was made the scapegoat for the shocking defensive performance against the Waratahs last week, but the Bulls as a team failed and they will dearly miss the exciting young Falcons star's attacking prowess.

However, Jacobs still has a chance to convince his detractors when he takes the field in the later stages of the game.

The coach has bracketed JP Nel, Frikkie Welsh and Etienne Botha at outside centre. Nel is suffering from a groin injury and Welsh still battles to shake off the hamstring injury that kept him on the sidelines last weekend. Both will be given until the last minute to prove their fitness, with the explosive Botha on standby.

A couple of weeks ago Botha vowed never to play for the Bulls because of the shabby treatment he received from Meyer, but after a conversation with members of the Bulls board he declared himself available again. Meyer had the ideal opportunity to unite last year's most exciting Currie Cup centre combination in Jacobs and Botha, but he instead adopted a safety-first approach.

The combination of Jacobs and Botha might just provide the spark the lacklustre and dour Bulls so desperately need at the moment. A brilliant player like wing Wylie Human suddenly looks awful in this Bulls side, while the coach's refusal to select the quick and exciting Gavin Passens also boggles the mind.

Young Pedrie Wannenburg, who has been in excellent form for the Blue Bulls in the Vodacom Cup competition, gets his chance on the side of the scrum. He will be in for a tough baptism of fire, as George Smith and Owen Finegan will be in his face all afternoon long.

Meyer admitted on Thursday that the bad publicity of the past week got to the team, but added everyone was prepared to forget about it and get on with the game.

"It's been a difficult week with all the disruptions. The guys have trained well though and pulled together as a team," said Meyer. "We will have to play our best rugby yet this year if we want to beat the Brumbies.

"We are up against a very good side. The Brumbies are a class team from number one to 15. We're going to have to retain our ball as much as we can and not kick possession away."

Captain Chris le Roux said his side wants to play for pride and win for their coach.

Bulls: Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Wylie Human, Frikkie Welsh/JP Nel/Ettienne Botha, Boeta Wessels, Giscard Pieters, Franco Smith, Norman Jordaan, Chris le Roux, Johan Wasserman, Pedrie Wannenburg, Victor Matfield, Marco Wentzel, Piet Boer, Danie Coetzee, Christo Bezuidenhout. Substitutes: James Dalton, Wessel Roux, Matt Frank, Gerrie Britz, Hakkies Husselman, Adrian Jacobs, Gavin Passens.